"I'm reading theOEDso you don't have to. If you are interested in vocabulary that is both spectacularly useful and beautifully useless, read on. . . "So reports Ammon Shea, the tireless, word-obsessed, and more than slightly masochistic author ofReading the OED. The word lover's Mount Everest, theOEDhas enthralled logophiles since its initial publication 80 years ago. Weighing in at 137 pounds, it is the dictionary to end all dictionaries. In 26 chapters filled with sharp wit, sheer delight, and a documentarian's keen eye, Shea shares his year inside theOED, delivering a hair-pulling, eye-crossing account of reading every word, and revealing the most obscure, hilarious, and wonderful gems he discovers along the way.